⁵ Now it happened afterward that ^(A)David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. ⁶ And he said to his men, ^(B)“The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.”

⁸ Then Abishai said to David, ^(A)“God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him ^[a]at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!”

⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; ^(B)for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?” ¹⁰ David said furthermore, “As the Lord lives, ^(C)the Lord shall strike him, or ^(D)his day shall come to die, or he shall ^(E)go out to battle and perish.